1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape simulator of a cassette type digital audio/video device which normally operates a cassette deck player by having the cassette deck player recognize the tape simulator as a magnetic tape, which is a general cassette tape, traveling in a normal speed as the cassette deck player reproduces digital audio/video signals recorded on the cassette tape, and more particularly to a tape simulator of a cassette tape digital audio/video device structured in combinations of plural gears without a belt to recognize the general cassette tape as the magnetic tape, wherein the cassette deck player is built in the cassette tape digital audio/video device for reproductions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Software for converting audio or video into a digital signal and storing the digital signal in voice files has been developed, and, accordingly, digital audio/video devices have been developed that can reproduce the voice files into audio or video. The voice file tends to be widely used since it has an advantage in that the audio and video reproduction qualities are excellent while compressing songs in a moving picture experts group(MPEG) audio method of a high-quality and high-compression rate different from the existing Hi-Fi audio and having 12 times as large a storage capacity as the existing Hi-Fi audio method.
In addition, in recent, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a cassette tape digital audio/video device 100 has been developed and widely spread, which is manufactured in a form of a general cassette tape, that is, in a form of a flat rectangular solid on both left and right sides of the center portion of which reel hubs 1 and 2 are formed to rotate while inserted into left and right reels 201 and 202 of a cassette deck 200 and can reproduce voice files alone and output the reproduced voice files through an output device such as an earphone 101 as well as reproduce the voice files stored in a digital audio/video device through a general cassette deck player by converting the voice files into analog magnet signals and inputting the converted signals in a head of the cassette deck player.
In such a cassette tape digital audio/video device, the deck of the general audio cassette deck player generally has a structure of controlling a retrieval mode(Play mode), fast-forward mode(FF mode), and rewind mode(REW mode) as for a cassette tape with a capstan of a rotation shaft keeping the speeds of the two reels and the tape constant and has functions of detecting the rotation speeds of the reels and stopping operations or ejecting the cassette tape from the deck in case that the cassette tape unusually operates as in entangled or cut-off magnetic tape, so that, accordingly, it has to be equipped with a tape simulator which can normally operate the cassette deck player by having the cassette deck player recognize the simulator as a magnetic tape traveling in a normal speed in order for the simulator to be recognized as a general cassette tape normally operating.
That is, the cassette tape digital audio/video device uses as a main memory medium the kinds of a semiconductor device rather than a magnetic tape as a memory medium differently from a general cassette tape, so that, in order to normally operate the magnetic tape in a general cassette deck player which judges if normally operated as rotation speeds of reel hubs wound, reels hubs rotated while inserted in deck reels and a tape simulator for rotating the reel hubs at the same linear speed as the rotation speeds of the reel hubs of the general cassette tape are necessary.
If the cassette tape digital audio/video device does not have the tape simulator stated as above, the cassette deck player recognizes the device as a general cassette tape having no or cut-off magnetic tape and then automatically stops or ejects the device from the deck, so that the reproductions of voice files recorded in the cassette tape digital audio/video device are impossible with the cassette deck player. Further, in case of selecting the FF mode or REW mode for song selections, the memory medium for storing actual voice files can not be controlled. Because of such a problem, the cassette simulator of the cassette tape digital audio/video device are built in the cassette tape digital audio/video device for normally operating the cassette deck player by recognizing the magnetic tape as in a normal speed as to a general cassette deck player in order to recognize the simulator as a general cassette tape in a normal operation.
FIG. 3 schematically shows a structure of a typical and conventional tape simulator of a cassette tape type digital audio/video device used for the existing cassette tape digital audio/video device.
As shown in FIG. 3, the conventional tape simulator of a cassette tape digital audio/video device includes left and right reel hubs 1 and 2 having the same structure as the reel hubs of a general cassette tape rotated while inserted in the reels 201 and 202 of a cassette deck player, and a driving unit for rotating the reel hubs 1 and 2 at the same linear speed as a capstan 203 of a deck of rotating at a constant linear speed, that is, a belt 3 connected with the capstan 203 mounted for either of the left and right reel hubs 201 and 202 to convey a magnetic tape at a normal speed and for rotating the reel hubs 201 and 202 at the same linear speed as the linear speed(tangential speed). Reference numerals 4 and 5 are no-load rotating rollers mounted for horizontally conveying the belt 3.
With the structure stated above, the tape simulator of the cassette tape digital audio/video device has the reel hobs 1 and 2 rotated at the same time as the capstan 203 of the deck by a power transmission operation of the belt 3, to thereby have the cassette deck player, which judges whether a cassette tape normally operates with the rotation speeds of the reel hubs 1 and 2, recognize as if a magnetic tape travels at a normal speed. Accordingly, the digital audio/video device is recognized as a general cassette tape normally operating by the cassette deck player, so that the cassette deck player can normally operate. Further, in the FF mode or the REW mode, a pinch roller 204 pressing the capstan motor 203 is released, the reel hubs 1 and 2 rotate at a faster speed by the rotation forces of the left and right reels 201 and 202, and the cassette deck player detects a rotation speed difference through a sensor, so that an operation according to a corresponding mode can be realized.
However, the conventional tape simulator of the cassette tape digital audio/video device as stated above has a problem in that it causes a problem in operations due to an elasticity difference in long-term usage, and, in case that there is a distance error or a torque difference between shafts of the left and right reels 1 and 2 in the deck, the mode such as Play mode, FF mode, REW mode, or the like does not work properly.
Further, the conventional tape simulator of a cassette tape digital audio/video device has the belt 3 pressed by the pinch roller 204 and traveling at a constant speed, and the belt 3 having a narrow width is mounted to be biased to one side of an outer circumference of the pinch roller 204 to avoid interference with a printed circuit board (PCB) (not shown) built in the device. Therefore, the conventional tape simulator has a problem in that one side of the outer circumference of the pinch roller 204 which is a non-consumable part of the cassette deck player becomes worn out by the belt 3. Accordingly, in case of a cassette deck player which repeatedly reproduces the cassette tape digital audio/video device, the longer the period of time in use lapses, the deeper the pinch roller 204 becomes worn out. Therefore, since a magnetic tape get damaged as a general cassette tape becomes reproduced, a voice quality reproduced from the general cassette tape becomes abruptly deteriorated.
Accordingly, the present invention has been devised to solve the above problems the conventional tape simulator of a cassette tape type digital audio/video device as stated above has, so it is an object of the present invention to provide a tape simulator of a cassette tape type digital audio/video device combined with plural gears excluding the use of a belt to avoid problems in operations of each mode such as retrieval mode, fast forward mode, rewind mode, or the like, to prevent problems of deteriorating voice qualities of general cassette tapes due to the damages to a pinch roller with operations without damaging the pinch roller which is a non-consumable part, and to simultaneously solve the problems of lowering reliability and productivity as well as the compatibility problem between cassette deck players, in case that reproductions are carried out by the cassette deck player.
The present invention, in a tape simulator built in a cassette tape type digital audio/video device retrievable with a cassette deck player and for having the tape simulator recognized as a cassette tape normally operating by having the cassette deck player recognize as if a magnetic tape traveled at a constant linear speed in order for the cassette deck player to normally operate as reproducing voice/video digital signals recorded in the device in use of the cassette deck player, comprises left and right real hubs inserted into driving reels on both sides of the cassette deck player to be rotated by the driving reels, mounted to be capable of running idle on both sides of a center portion of the cassette tape type digital audio/video device, having reel gears combined on the outer circumference thereof; and a rotation speed attenuating means for attenuating the rotation speeds of the left and right reel hubs to at a predetermined rate by providing resistance to the left and right reel hubs rotated by the driving reels.
Further, with a structure as stated above, the rotation speed attenuation means includes a center gear mounted between the left and right reel hubs, meshed with the reel gears of the left and right reel hubs at the same time, and rotated by the left and right reel hubs; and a torque producing means for applying a certain friction torque to the center gear when the center gear rotates.
Further, the rotation speed attenuation means includes an idle gear meshed with the reel gears of the left and right reel hubs to run idle; a rubber roller having a friction pulley part and a gear part incorporated in one body and having the same rotation center, the friction pulley part being in a rolling contact with a pinch roller of the cassette deck player moving downwards in a play mode, and the gear part being meshed with the idle gear; and an elastic means for elastically supporting the rubber roller toward the pinch roller.
In addition, it is preferable that the torque producing means includes a friction plate closely contacted with one side of the center gear for friction; and a volute spring for elastically supporting the center gear toward the friction plate.
Further, the rotation shaft of the rubber roller is hinged in the rotation shaft of the idle gear to rotate in a range of predetermined rotation angles on the outer circumference of the idle gear, and the elasticity means elastically supporting the rubber roller is, preferably, a twist coil spring for elastically supporting the rubber roller against a device case.
Further, the rubber roller further includes a friction band of a rubber substance inserted on the circumference of the friction pulley part, being in rolling contact with the pinch roller, and increasing a friction force as to the pinch roller.